Dapplefire's Fury
by Neko-Ereri
Summary: Dapplefire was a mother of four, and was very protective of her kits. She told them stories of Clans, groups of cats who ruled the entire forest and lake. One day, Clan cats came, and promised Dapplefire protection for her and her kits. She was suspicious, yes, but she had no choice if she wanted to protect them. This is Dapplefire's story.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 _Inside a small cave, a she-cat_ was watching tiredly as her kits played, just being able to see as it was already nearing sunset. The she-cat was a beautiful tortoiseshell with fiery amber eyes, which seemed to glow brightly when the sun hit them, and long, glossy fur. She rested her head on her paws, and purred with laughter as her first-born, a tiny tabby tom, was pinned to the ground by his youngest sister, another tortoiseshell who seemed to be a small version of her mother.

The cave she lived in was small, one and a half fox-lengths tall, and maybe three fox-lengths wide. On the right side was a tunnel leading downwards into an even smaller cave where the she-cat and her kits slept. A nest made of moss and bracken was against the back wall, next to yet another tunnel which led to an area where the cats made their dirt. The tunnel was quite long, partly so the tortoiseshell couldn't smell the dirt, and the floor was covered with dead grass and leaves, so they could bury their dirt, sort of. In the main cave, a hole was in the roof, to let light in. The hole was quite small, but even so, it lit up the entire place like the sun itself was inside the cave. A pile of fresh-kill was near the entrance to the cave, a tunnel with a large opening that led to outside. Outside, the entrance to the cave was blocked off by ferns, brambles, and thorn bushes to keep away intruders, and it blended into the area a little. Of course, the tortoiseshell had no problem with finding it, because she had lived there most of her life.

Inside, the tortoiseshell found herself dozing off, until she heard a squeal of pain from one of her kits. She quickly leaped to her paws, and padded quickly towards her kits. Her two sons and one daughter were gathered around her youngest, a tortoiseshell she-kit. She leaned her head down towards her, and the kit quickly leaned forward and showed the she-cat her paw, which was scraped and slightly bleeding. The tortoiseshell sighed with relief that nothing serious had happened, grabbing the she-kit by her scruff, despite the little kit's protests, and set her down between her own paws, where she licked the crying kit's scraped pad. Her oldest son padded up to her, and looked at her in worry. "Will Specklekit be okay?" He asked and blinked at his mother with worry for his sister clouding his gaze. The she-cat nodded. "Yes, Tigerkit. Specklekit may be young, but she's strong." Tigerkit purred with delight, and her other son and daughter trotted towards them.

"Dapplefire, I'm hungry!" Whined her son, a black tom with one orange ear. His sister, a ginger-and-white she-cat, nodded quickly in agreement. Dapplefire purred. "Go ahead and grab a mouse from the pile, Flamekit. And share with Tigerkit and Brightkit!" She added as Flamekit padded away, with Brightkit and Tigerkit following quickly behind. Specklekit looked up at her mother with pleading eyes, and when Dapplefire nodded, sprinted after her siblings. Dapplefire's eyes glittered with amusement, and sighed. "Kits, after you've eaten, come to bed." She rose to her paws, and with a flick of her tail, vanished into the sleeping-cave. After a few moments, her kits followed.

Dapplefire woke to whispers coming from the main cave, and she quickly raised her head. Narrowing her eyes, she slowly, so she wouldn't wake up her kits, stood up and padded out of the tiny cave. She halted as the intruders came into view. A light brown tabby with amber eyes and a dark ginger cat with one white paw and green eyes. Dapplefire sniffed the air. _She-cats._ She let out a low growl, which echoed throughout the cave. The tabby turned towards the tunnel entrance where Dapplefire was, and the tortoiseshell slowly stepped into view, fur bristling. The dark ginger she-cat dipped her head. "Greetings. We bring you no harm." Dapplefire snorted. "Like I'd believe that." The tabby spoke next. "I am Leafpool, this is Squirrelflight." The ginger one –Squirrelflight– nodded. Dapplefire stiffened. These sounded like warrior names! She cautiously took a step forward, but a small mew made her eyes widen and her heart stop. "Mother, who are these cats?" She spun around and found Specklekit staring curiously at the she-cats in the cave. Dapplefire padded towards her kit and lowered her head to whisper in her ear, "Clan cats." The she-kit suddenly fluffed her fur and widened her eyes in terror, as Dapplefire had told her stories of what happened the last time her mother met Clan cats. Squirrelflight and Leafpool exchanged a confused and curious glance, obviously wondering what had spooked the kitten so much. Specklekit quickly raced back to the nest, running as fast as her little legs could go. "Is that your kit?" Leafpool asked, and Dapplefire growled. "Yes," she hissed, "Why?" Squirrelflight dipped her head again, ignoring the question. "Would you mind telling us your name?" Dapplefire hesitated. _Dear StarClan, these cats are more curious than kits!_ "Dapplefire." She replied. Squirrelflight blinked, startled. "Your name..." She trailed off. Dapplefire snorted, half-amused. "Sounds like a Clan name, doesn't it? Well, to save the questions, I used to be a Clan cat." Leafpool twitched her ears in surprise. "May I ask what Clan?" Dapplefire swished her tail back and forth. "SkyClan." _Will they just leave already?_ Leafpool's eyes widened. "But that's so far from here!" She exclaimed. Dapplefire's ears flatted, and she hissed in annoyance. "Keep it down! My kits are trying to sleep!" She spat. "Which, they're probably awake now." She added with an irritated tone. Leafpool's ears flattened in embarrassment. "Sorry!" She apologized quietly. Dapplefire sighed. "Now would you mind telling me _why_ exactly you're in _my_ cave, especially at moon-high?" Squirrelflight nodded. "Well, earlier, on the dawn patrol –I assume you know about those–, I came across this place. I told Leafpool, and we came to investigate." Leafpool nodded. Dapplefire huffed. "And you didn't scent any cats?" Squirrelflight shuffled her paws in embarrassment. "Uh… Yeah, we didn't think about that until after we were in the cave." She muttered. _Obviously._ Dapplefire thought. "Are you going to report to your leader and chase us out, now?" She asked, a hint of worry in her voice. _I don't think my kits could handle any more traveling!_ Leafpool glanced at Squirrelflight. They were obviously thinking the same thing, and Dapplefire guessed it a heartbeat before they said it. "We can't have you taking our prey. Perhaps you could join ThunderClan?" Though Dapplefire was expecting it, she couldn't help but feel surprised. "Me?" She asked, voice slightly high-pitched from shock. Squirrelflight nodded. "But wouldn't you need to ask your leader for permission first?" Dapplefire asked. It was Leafpool who answered. "Squirrelflight is deputy of ThunderClan. She _shouldn't_ have any trouble with bringing a stray into the Clan, because Bramblestar himself has done it a few times." She said. Dapplefire was silent, staring at Leafpool and Squirrelflight with a thoughtful look. She had told her kits so many stories of her life in SkyClan, of all the battles that had taken place, and of the other cats who would attack them in hopes of removing the 'evil' cats from the world. Dapplefire had told them of how she had trained to be a warrior, and then later found that her destiny was to be a Medicine Cat. The poor kits had been terrified of Clan cats, convinced they were cold-blooded murderers, their last encounter with a ShadowClan patrol not helping to change their minds. By living with ThunderClan, not only would she possibly change their minds about Clan cats, but they would get to see how a Clan worked. Finally, she sighed and spoke. "…Alright. I will join your Clan." Leafpool purred in delight, and Squirrelflight gave a small bounce of excitement. "Great!" She meowed in happiness. "If you would like, I can lead a patrol to fetch you tomorrow at sun-high?" Dapplefire nodded slowly, then she suddenly looked worried. "Listen, I told my kits once about the SkyClan. They thought the Clans were nothing but killers, and a recent encounter with a ShadowClan patrol didn't change that idea. They'd be terrified, no doubt. I just ask that you be kind, and patient. _Very_ patient. Once they get their mind set on something, they'll never let it go." She sighed. Leafpool nodded. "Yes, you will stay in the nursery with Daisy and Cinderheart, our only two queens. They're patient enough, with kits of their own." Dapplefire sighed. "I would like to sleep now. Please," She waved her tail towards the entrance, "Allow us to sleep." Squirrelflight dipped her head, and nudged Leafpool gently with her nose. As they disappeared, Dapplefire sighed. _Oh, StarClan,_ _what have I gotten myself into?_

"But we don't wanna live with Clan cats!" Wailed Flamekit once Dapplefire had finished telling them what had happened the previous night. Dapplefire sighed, curling her tail around him. "Sorry, kits, but it's our only chance of survival. Leaf-bare is nearly here, and soon we'd starve or freeze to death." They were sat just outside the cave entrance. It was sun-high, and they were waiting for the patrol to arrive. "They'll kill us!" Brightkit whimpered, burying her face in Dapplefire's chest. The tortoiseshell sighed. It was about time they were apprentices, but with no other cats to train them, she hadn't been able to give them the prefix 'paw. _I don't know what I was thinking, giving them Clan names._ She sighed. A moment later, four cats burst through the trees, causing poor Tigerkit to squeak in surprise and terror and hide behind Dapplefire. She recognized Squirrelflight out of those four, but not the other three cats. Squirrelflight blinked sympathetically, and dipped her head. "Hello, Dapplefire." Dapplefire nodded in greeting, but eyed the other three suspiciously. Squirrelflight glanced behind her at the rest of the patrol. "The white she-cat is Whitewing, the gray tom with black stripes is Bumblestripe, and the cream she-cat is Daisy." Dapplefire nodded. "Hello." Bumblestripe purred a greeting, while Whitewing and Daisy dipped their heads. Squirrelflight nodded. "Right, so, let's go." She turned around and flicked her tail, telling the others to follow. Standing up, Dapplefire grabbed Specklekit by the scruff and watched as Whitewing, Bumblestripe, and Daisy picked up her other kits and followed Squirrelflight. Dapplefire allowed her mind to wander as they padded through the forest, back to the time when she was only an apprentice, learning Clan ways. She looked up as the patrol stopped, and she realized they had reached a thorn tunnel that led into a hollow.

 _This is it,_ she realized, _this is their camp._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Tigerkit was set down by the cream cat Daisy on the soft ground next to the cat who he learned was Bumblestripe. Dapplefire sat next to him, sniffing each of her kits to make sure they're okay. Daisy, Whitewing, and Squirrelflight padded up a tumble of rocks that led to a ledge, which he noticed had a hole in the back. _It must be the leaders den!_ He realized. He suddenly wanted to be an apprentice, to live the life he could only dream of in a Clan.

Tigerkit blinked rapidly as he looked around the large hollow. _There are so many cats!_ He thought eagerly. The cats were all happy, he realized. Some stretched out in the warm sun, while other talked and played. There were kits, too, he thought cheerfully.

He glanced up at his mother, eyes wide. She looked down at him and sighed, shaking her head. Dapplefire lowered her face towards Tigerkit, and whispered, "I know you're excited, but not now. We have to meet the Clan leader. If he says that we can stay, then yes, you can play with the others." Tigerkit nodded quickly, excited to see the leader of this Clan. Surely it must be hard to control this many cats? Have any gone against him? His mother stood as the dark ginger she-cat, Squirrelflight, nodded her head towards her, a sign that she wished to speak with her. _Or maybe Dapplefire's meeting the leader?_ He watched in silence as he mother padded away, and his sibling all moved closer to him, seeking comfort in the strange place. Tigerkit noticed how his youngest sibling, Specklekit, was looking excited too. He realized that she was feeling the same way he was, determined to live in this Clan and be the best he could be.

Then it got very quiet, the happy purrs and meows fell silent as the Clan noticed the newcomers. Tigerkit realized that if he was going to be accepted as a member of this Clan, then he'll have to work hard to earn the trust of these cats. Which probably wouldn't be easy, he thought with a sigh. Judging by the looks of distrust and some threatening growls, he guessed they'd had many cats betray them before. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, join beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" A loud, powerful meow reached his ears, and he looked up at a dark brown tabby standing at the edge of a small cliff that grew out from the side of the hollow. He had broad shoulders and long, curved claws, along with amber eyes that made him look both friendly and welcoming, and terrifyingly powerful at the same time.

The tabby's eyes swept over the crowd of cats, eyes glowing with pride, and finally, they landed on him. Their eyes locked, and the cat's eyes glowed with something else he couldn't quite name. Tigerkit met his gaze, and he knew that his eagerness and determination probably shown in his eyes. When he turned his head away, he noticed that the tom's eyes also seemed to study Specklekit.

He suddenly felt very protective of his younger sister. He glared at the tom, who noticed this and understanding flickered in his eyes. Or at least what Tigerkit both thought and hoped was understanding and not the urge to kill Specklekit in front of him. The large tabby flicked his tail, and Dapplefire came out with that ginger cat. The tabby then began to speak.

"ThunderClan," He started, "I'm sure you've all noticed the newcomers, and I can assure you that they are not here to bring any harm." He glanced towards Tigerkit's mother. "Would you like to introduce your family?" She nodded her head, standing to speak.

"I am Dapplefire." She paused, taking a breath. "And next to Bumblestripe are my kits. Tigerkit, Specklekit, Flamekit, and Brightkit." Tigerkit noticed that the gathered cats looked confused, and he understood why. His mother gave them Clan names, even though they never belonged in Clans. A white tom with long fur spoke up, "Why do you have Clan names?" He asked. "You're rogues, aren't you?" Dapplefire sighed. "I used to be in a Clan myself." She announced. "SkyClan." Tigerkit heard small gasps of surprise from ThunderClan.

Dapplefire continued as if nobody had made a sound. "I realize my mistake in giving my own kits a Clan name. They would never earn a warrior name, or even train as an apprentice." The white tom spoke again. "Bramblestar, why are you letting them come here? They'll probably tell SkyClan, and they'd invade us!" The leader, who Tigerkit guessed was Bramblestar, growled. "SkyClan was put together by Firestar, Cloudtail, in case you forgot. They would never touch ThunderClan. It would be like as if you attacked your own mother! And plus, they live very, very far from here. Back in the old forest. They wouldn't travel from there to here just so they could attack us!" Bramblestar sounded very irritated. Tigerkit realized that the tom must be very tired. Now that he thought about it, the tabby did seem to look incredibly worn out and stressed. The kit frowned. Being leader must not be as fun as he had first thought.

The white tom, Cloudtail, hissed, obviously frustrated. Bramblestar sighed. "These cats need a home, and I would be more than willing to accept them. Dapplefire," He turned to Tigerkit's mother again, "Do you wish to join us?" She hesitated. Tigerkit could tell that she was remembering her time as a SkyClan cat.

After a moment of silence, she nodded slowly. "Yes, Bramblestar. I wish to join ThunderClan." Tigerkit saw the tom instantly perk up. "Great. How old are your kits?" Dapplefire shrugged. "Five moons, I believe. It has been hard to keep track." Bramblestar nodded. "You will stay for a moon, and within that time, if you wish to leave, no one will stop you." He paused, taking a short breath. "But if you stay for more than that, your kits will become apprentices and, if you wish, you may become a warrior." He finished. Tigerkit noticed that he seemed to be studying Dapplefire, looking as though he could see her thoughts and ever memory. What if he could? Was that the special thing leaders got? Tigerkit remembered his mother telling him and his siblings about how a leader would speak to their ancestors and be given a special power. What if mind reading was that power?

Tigerkit shook the thoughts out of his head. Of course not! Not even ancient cats could give away such a power! _But… What if they_ could? Tigerkit sighed. He would only know if he became leader, and he knew very well that that would never happen.

A voice broke him out of his thoughts. "Yes, Bramblestar. I accept, and will join ThunderClan."


End file.
